23 topic guides

Mining and Exploration Guides

Our articles on mining, exploration, metals and oil and gas, grouped by topic so you can go straight to the subject you need.

23topic guides

45 articlesGold Deposits, Mines and GeologyGuides to where gold is found and mined, which companies and royalty stocks hold it, what it costs to produce, and how it is extracted and recovered.Open guide →42 articlesThe Mining Industry: Companies, Careers and MethodsArticles on mining stocks and companies, project finance and valuation, surface and underground methods, AI in mining, workforce trends and community effects.Open guide →18 articlesCopper Prices, Stocks and Market OutlookCopper price per pound and per tonne, forecasts, and the mining stocks to watch in the US, Canada, Australia and Chile, gathered on one page.Open guide →19 articlesMineral Exploration and Satellite Detection MethodsReading remote-sensing gold maps, band ratios, hyperspectral data, AI models, geophysics and drilling, plus exploration case studies from Kenya to Oregon.Open guide →27 articlesSilver Mining: Stocks, Producers and CostsOur articles on silver mining in one place: the largest producers and mines, silver stocks and juniors, costs per ounce and the forces behind demand.Open guide →25 articlesGold Prospecting and Panning: Where, How and What RulesWhere to pan and prospect for gold in the US, Canada, Australia and Africa, plus placer claims for sale, detectors, pans and panning rules.Open guide →42 articlesOil and Gas: Companies, Crude Grades and MarketsCrude reserves and grades, production and prices, and the oil and gas companies of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, the US and India.Open guide →24 articlesUranium Mining, Producers and StocksUranium stocks in Canada and on the ASX, the largest producers and mines, prices, yellowcake and extraction methods such as in-situ leaching, in one place.Open guide →40 articlesCopper Mining: Producers, Mines and MarketsOur articles on copper: the biggest producing countries and companies, reserves, major mines worldwide, processing methods, industry challenges and investing.Open guide →36 articlesLithium Mining: Mines, Companies and MarketsLithium mines, producers, stocks and prices, plus the water and land impacts of extraction in Australia, the Americas, Europe and Africa, in one reading list.Open guide →17 articlesGold Mining Stocks and CompaniesRankings of the largest gold miners, Canadian and ASX gold stocks, mining ETFs, Barrick outlooks and what it costs to mine an ounce of gold.Open guide →28 articlesGemstones: Prices, Sources and MinesPrices and sources for rare gemstones, from painite and tanzanite to emeralds and opal, plus closed mines, public dig sites and gem mines for sale.Open guide →39 articlesRare Earths and Critical MineralsArticles on rare earth reserves by country, the companies, stocks and ETFs behind supply, element prices, and how rare earths are used in defence and EVs.Open guide →42 articlesMining and the EnvironmentHow mining affects land, water and communities, what the research on mine water shows, and how acid drainage, tailings and site restoration are handled.Open guide →12 articlesMining Claims and Mineral RightsArticles on buying gold and patented mining claims in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Colorado, plus what mineral rights fetch per acre.Open guide →27 articlesDiamond Mining and ValueWho mines the world’s diamonds, where the biggest mines are, what drives carat prices and coloured stone value, and where the public can dig for diamonds.Open guide →46 articlesOil and Gas: Fields, Reserves and CompaniesArticles on oil and gas reserves and output by country, major Gulf fields, drilling and construction firms, sector jobs and the technology the industry uses.Open guide →22 articlesPlatinum, Tungsten, Bauxite and Other MetalsGuides to bauxite and aluminium, palladium and platinum, tungsten, tin, antimony, niobium, coltan and molybdenum, plus two rare gemstones.Open guide →18 articlesIron Ore, Chromite and Steel-Making MineralsIron ore mining, processing and major projects from Carajas to Simandou, plus chromite pricing, pyrite and other minerals that feed steel.Open guide →18 articlesCobalt, Nickel and Battery MetalsArticles on cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite: the biggest miners and stocks, ethical sourcing in the DRC, Indonesian nickel and key mines worldwide.Open guide →15 articlesMining Equipment, Technology and Safety GuidesArticles on mining machinery, autonomous and electric haul trucks, ore crushing and flotation, underground ventilation, safety and surface mining methods.Open guide →15 articlesCoal Mining: Companies, Methods and ImpactsCoal mining reading: leading US producers, equipment and safety gear, extraction methods, regions such as Queensland and Alberta, and environmental impacts.Open guide →17 articlesPotash, Phosphate, Quartz and Industrial MineralsArticles on potash and phosphate markets, quartz types and giant crystals, and mica, feldspar and biotite, with their uses in farming and industry.Open guide →

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Which mining guide to open first

The 23 topic guides above fall into three groups: commodities, the business and practice of mining, and finding and holding ground. If you know the metal or mineral you’re interested in, start with its commodity guide. If your question is about how mining works, start with the practice guides.

If you’re looking for	Start with
Gold	gold deposits, mines and geology, gold mining companies, gold prospecting and panning
Silver and copper	silver mining, copper producers and mines, copper prices and market outlook
Battery and critical minerals	lithium, cobalt, nickel and battery metals, rare earths and critical minerals
Steel and other metals	iron ore and chromite, platinum, tungsten, bauxite and other metals
Energy minerals	uranium, coal, oil and gas fields and reserves, oil and gas markets and crude grades
Gems and industrial minerals	gemstones, diamonds, potash, phosphate, quartz and industrial minerals
How mining works	the mining industry, mining equipment, technology and safety, mining and the environment
Finding and holding ground	mineral exploration and satellite detection, mining claims and mineral rights

The stages of a mining project and where each guide fits

Most mining questions make more sense once you know which stage a project is at. The path from an idea to a working mine usually runs like this, and it often takes ten years or more:

Securing ground. An explorer applies for or buys a license or claim. Our guide to mining claims covers how this works in the US.
Exploration. Mapping, remote sensing, geochemistry and geophysics narrow the area, then drilling tests the best targets. The exploration methods guide covers this stage.
Resource estimation. Drill results are turned into a mineral resource estimate under a reporting code such as JORC in Australia, NI 43-101 in Canada or S-K 1300 in the US, signed off by a qualified or competent person.
Studies. A scoping study or preliminary economic assessment comes first, then pre-feasibility and feasibility studies that define reserves, the mine plan, equipment and costs.
Permitting and financing, including environmental assessments and community agreements.
Construction, production and, eventually, closure and rehabilitation. The equipment and environment guides cover these stages.

Most projects stop at one of the early stages, which is normal. Exploration is a process of ruling ground out as much as ruling it in. Articles in the industry and commodity guides often describe projects at different stages, so note which stage each one is at before comparing them.

Terms used across these guides

A handful of terms come up in almost every mining article, and they’re easy to mix up:

An Exploration Target is a range of possible tonnage and grade for ground that hasn’t been drilled enough to estimate a resource. Reporting codes require it to be clearly labeled as conceptual.
A Mineral Resource is an estimate based on drilling, split into Inferred, Indicated and Measured as confidence rises.
An Ore Reserve (or Mineral Reserve) is the part of a resource that a study shows can be mined at a profit, after allowing for dilution, recovery and costs.
Grade is the concentration of the metal, in grams per tonne for gold and silver and in percent for copper, zinc or iron.
Cut-off grade is the lowest grade worth mining and processing, and the strip ratio is the tonnes of waste moved per tonne of ore in an open pit.

Reading market and company articles

Several guides cover prices, stocks and companies. They explain how each market works and who the main producers are. They don’t recommend buying or selling anything, and nothing in them is investment advice. Prices move daily, so when an article quotes a price or production figure, check its date and source. For metals, the most widely used public reference is the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, published each year, and for companies the primary sources are their own filings and technical reports. Canadian NI 43-101 reports are public on SEDAR+, and Australian JORC announcements are published through the ASX.

Farmonaut’s mining work

Alongside these guides, we run satellite mineral exploration for license holders. Our satellite mineral detection service combines optical, shortwave infrared, radar, thermal, terrain, magnetic and hydrology data to rank Exploration Targets across a license area. It comes before a JORC or NI 43-101 resource estimate and doesn’t replace one. Since the start of FY2025-26 we have analyzed 391,956 acres in 33 countries, for 23 different minerals across 189 exploration projects. On engagements where clients tested our ranked zones with ground or drill work, 90% were confirmed. Delivery takes under five days from a usable boundary.

Our browser-based exploration software, Farmonaut Mining Pro, has nine tools: 2D map, raster inspector, 3D viewer, zone table, block model, drillholes, mine plan, economics, and export and reports. More than 100 mining businesses in over 25 countries use it. Our 16-chapter Mining Pro video course is free to watch, and our mining case studies show the work on real projects.

About these mining guides

What is Farmonaut Mining?

It’s our satellite mineral exploration work. We analyze satellite data over a license area and deliver ranked Exploration Targets, used ahead of drilling and a formal resource estimate. Mining Pro is our browser-based software for working with exploration data in 2D and 3D.

Where should I start if I’m new to mining?

Start with the mining industry guide for how companies and methods work, then the exploration methods guide for how deposits are found. After that, open the commodity guide for the metal you care about.

Are these articles investment advice?

No. The market, stock and company articles explain how the sector works. Check dated figures against primary sources such as the USGS and company filings, and speak to a licensed adviser before investing.

How does satellite mineral detection fit into exploration?

It sits at the early stage, after ground is secured and before field sampling and drilling. Satellite data narrows a large area down to the zones worth testing on the ground, which saves time and money on the field program.

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